Road joint end seal



Nov. 29,1938. R. R. RoBERTsoN ROAD JOINT` END SEAL Filed May 3, 1957 VE T ROBERT R. ROBERTSON Patented Nov. 29, 1938 UNTED STATES PATENT OFFICEv ROAD JOINT' END SEAL Robert R. Robertson, Chicago, 111., 'assigner to The Translode Joint Company, Chicago Heights, Ill., a corporation of Illinois Application May 3, 1937, serial No. 140,284

11 claims. (o1. :a4-1s) This invention relates to transverse road joints of the seal, with the shell enclosing a pre-comand more particularly to end seals for closing the ypressed inherently `expansible sealing material outer ends of the joints adjacent the road shoulwhich will maintain a seal at the end of the joint der. The end seal for the transverse road joint at all times.

- includes an inherently expansible precompressed Other and further important objects of this; 5 sealing pad of sponge rubber or the like which is invention will be apparent from the disclosures enclosed by a metal shield Vor casing the ends in the specification and the accompanying of which are anchored in adjacent concrete road drawing. slabs on opposite sides of the joint which is to The invention (in a preferred form) is illusbe sealed thereby affording an arrangement trated in the drawing and hereinafter more fully (10 whereby contraction or expansion of the road described. slabs due to temperature changes or other causes On the drawing: will actuate the steel casing or shield to cause the Figure 1 illustrates a horizontal fragmentary pre-compressed seal pad to maintain a sealing section through an improved end seal embodying contact with the end of the joint, at all times, rethe principles of this invention and shown in 'et gardless of whether the joint is opened or closed position adjacent the outer end `of a road exby the action of the road slabs. pansion joint embedded between concrete road It is an object of this invention to provide a slabs. Y transverse road joint with an end seal positioned Figure 2 is a reduced fragmentary horizontal across the outer end of the joint and connected sectional view similar to that illustrated in Fig- 20 with the road slabs on adjacent sides of the joint ure l but showing the road slabs contracted to for maintaining a substantially permanent seal transversely tension the steel casing to cause a at the outer end of the joint adjacent the road slight inward exing of the main plate of the shoulder. seal to compress the sealing material against the It is also an object of this invention to provide end of the joint as the sealing material expands .25

an end seal for a transverse road joint, said seal to flll the steel casing. being positioned across the outer end of the joint Figure 3 is a horizontal sectional View similar and overlapping the road slabs on opposite sides t0 Figure 2 but ShOWillg JGlfle I'Oad SlabSeXlOanded of the joint in a manner to permit actuation of to compress the expansion joint and cause the the seal by the movement of the road slabs caused Steel Casing to 100W outwardly bringing the Sides 30 by temperature changes or other causes. v of the sealing material closer together and in- It is a further object of this invention to procreasing the thickness to maintain the tight seal vide an improved end seal for transverse road against the end O the eXlOeIlSOll J'Oltjoints, said end seal including inherently ex- Figure 4 is an end elevational View of the road pansible pre-compressed material which is. held seal removed from the concrete and showing a135 in position by closure means connected with and supporting shoe engaged with an expansion joint operable by the road slabs on adjacent sides of illustrated in dotted lrleS- the joint. Figure 5 is a fragmentary vertical sectional It is furthermore an object of this invention to View taken on line V-V of Figure 4.

40 provide an end seal for a transverse road joint, Figure 6 iS e OD plan VeW 0f the end Seel CaS- ,40 said end seal including a shell, the ends of which ing With the Sealing material omitted are anchored in the road slabs on opposite sides As' shown on the drawing: of the joint, with said shell enclosing a pre-com- The reference numeral l indicates e peil" 0f pressed inherently expansible sealing material adjacently positionedconcrete road slabs having ,15 adapted to completely ll the shell at all times embedded'therebetween a transversely disposed 45 and maintain a tight seal against the end of the road eXpanSOn J'Ont COmDrSng a metal COIe joint, with either the compression or the elongaplate 2 having cemented O11 One Side thereOf a tion of steel shell caused by the expansion or pre-cast or pre-formed Compressible ller board the contraction of the road slabs due to tem 3. The eXpaHSiOn J'Orlt eXeHdS tlaIlSVeISelY beperature changes or other causes. tween the road slabs lewith the outer end of the 50 It is an important object of this invention to expansion joint exposed at the Shoulder of the provide an improved and simplied form of end road. .l

seal for a transverse road joint, said seal includ- For the purpose of sealing up the outer end of inga metal shell, the end flanges of which are the eXDanSOll jODt t0 prevent Water and the anchored in adjacent road slabs on opposite sides shoulder material, from Working in betWeen the 55 two side base flanges 8 which are narrower the width of the intermediate base flange '1.

Disposed within the steel casing, on .the inner side of the plate 4 and between the side flanges 5, is a sealing pad constructed of sponge rubber or other suitable material, which inherently expansible when compressed. The lower end of the sealing pad or cushion 9 seats on the base flanges I and 8 with the intermediate base 'flange lprojecting beyond the thickness of the sealing pad 9, as clearly illustrated in Figure 5, to permit the projecting endof the intermediate base flange 'I tobe spot welded or otherwise secured to the bottom of 'a channel section I, of a supporting shoe. The side walls of the channel I l) extend upwardly andV then are bent downwardly upon themselves, as clearly illustrated in Figure 4, to form the double thickness walls or flanges Il. Integrally formed with the lower margins of the outer walls of the side flanges II of the channel member I are two base flanges I2. The base flanges vI2 are provided with apertures for Vthe reception of anchoring stakes, which have been omitted. When the sealing unit is engaged against the outer end of the expansion joint and against the outer sidesrof the road slabs I, the

supporting shoe for the sealing unit projects into` side flanges 5 forming partof the seal casing.

It will, of course, be understood that only one shoe, namely the end shoe, has ybeen illustrated i and described and that a plurality of supporting shoes, similar to the shoe IB-IZ, may be engaged beneath the core plate 2 and the ller board 3, at spaced intervals. If preferred, the end units may be tied to the core plate 2 and the ller board 3 by means 'of tie wires I3. The tie wires I3 are engaged through apertures in the steel plate 4 and through apertures provided in the core plate 2 and the ller board 3. The ends of the tie wires are twisted together to tightly draw the seal unit against the end of the expansion joint. Y

With the end seal in position as`illustrated in Figure l, therside flanges 5 and the anchoring wings 6 are embedded in the adjacent road slabs I thereby holding the rubber sealing pad 5 tightly clamped against the outer end of the expansion Yjoint to seal the same.

causing the side flanges 5 to move toward one another, thereby bulging the steel plate Il voutwardly as illustrated in Figure 3.. With this compression of the seal casing the inherently expansible sealing pad 5 automatically acts to ll the space within the seal casing thereby maintaining the seal against the end of the compressed expansion joint.

When the road slabs I contract and move away from one another, the side flanges 5, being anchored in the slabs, also move farther apart thereby tensioning the seal casing causing the plate 4 to bend inwardly toward the end of the expansion joint tending to flatten outthe seal 'pad 5 to press the same against the end of the expansion joint to maintain the required seal at the end of the expansion joint.

It will, of course, be understood that various details of construction may be varied through a wide range without departing from the principles of this invention and it is, therefore, not the purpose to` limit the patent granted hereon otherwise than necessitated by the scope of the appended claims. Y

I claim as my invention:

r1. The combination with an expansion joint embedded between concrete road slabs, of an end seal for the expansion joint comprising a casing spanning the end of the expansion joint and projecting into the end faces of the adjacent road slabs, and an inherently expansible seal pad in the casing in sealing contact with the outer end of the expansion joint and overlapping the expansion space between the road slabs.

2. The combination with an expansion joint embedded between concrete road slabs, of an end 'the end of the joint and anchored in the end faces of adjacentv road slabs, channel means connected to said casing for supporting the casing prior to the pouring of the concrete to form the road slabs, and a sealing pad in the casing extending across the end of the channel means and said road'joint to maintain a seal therewith.

4. A transverse road joint end seal anchored in road slabs on adjacent sides of the road joint, said joint seal comprising a casing, anchoring `means thereon anchored in theend faces of the adjacent road slabs, a support for the casing, means for tieing the casing to the roadjoint, anda sealing material enclosed by thelcasing and compressed against the end of the road joint and overlapping the outer sides of the road slabs to maintain a seal at the outer end of the road joint both with the compression and the expansion of the road slabs.

5. The combination with a transverse road Vjoint embedded between concrete road slabs, of `an end seal for the joint comprising a metal plate, side flanges integrally formed thereon, an-

choring members integrally `formed on the side anges and embedded in the outer end faces of the c'oncrete'road slabs, means for supporting vthe plate and sideflanges in position, a sealing Ypad enclosed vby theV plate and the side flanges and held in sealing contact with the outer end c of the road'joint and the end faces of theV road?` slabs, and adjustable means connecting the plate and the pad with the road joint.

6. The combination with a transverse road joint embedded between concrete road slabs, of a seal casing anchored to the road slabs and embedded between the road slabs and the road shoulder, and an inherently expansible and compressible sealing pad in the casing held in sealing contact with the outer end of the joint and in contact with the outer end surfaces of said road slabs.

7. The combination with a joint embedded between concrete road slabs, of means for spanning the end of the joint and anchored in the outer end faces of the adjacent road slabs for operation thereby, and a precompressed sealing means enclosed by the spanning means and held in resilient sealing contact with the end of the joint and expansible to maintain a complete filling of the spanning means with the compression and the expansion thereof due to the movements of the road slabs caused by temperature changes.

8. A road joint end seal comprising a metal plate, side and bottom flanges integrally formed thereon, anchoring members formed on the side flanges, and an inherently expansible sealing pad adjacent one side of the plate supported on the bottom anges between the side flanges.

9. A road joint end seal comprising a metal plate, side flanges integrally formed thereon anchoring members formed on the side ilanges, an

inherently expansible sealing pad adjacent one side of the plate and between the side flanges, side base flanges formed on said metal plate and projecting beneath the pad, and a middle base flange on said metal plate projecting beneath the road joint.

l0. A road joint end seal comprising a metal plate, side anges integrally formed thereon, anchoring lugs integrally formed on the side flanges, base flanges integrally formed on the bottom edge of said plate, a sealing pad adjacent one side of the plate and between the side flanges thereof and supported on said base flanges, and a.k

supporting shoe connected with one of the base flanges and shaped to assist in supporting a road joint in position with the end seal in sealing contact with the end of said joint.

11. The combination with a road joint and an end seal therefor, said end seal comprising a casing plate, side flanges integrally formed thereon, anchoring lugs formed on the side anges, base flanges formed on the bottom of the plate, a sealing pad adjacent one side of the plate and enclosed between the side flanges thereof and in sealing contact with the outer end of the joint, means for connecting the plate and the pad with the joint, and a supporting shoe for the joint connected with one of the plate base flanges.

ROBERT R. ROBERTSON. 

